KC police sergeant stops man from suicide attempt

A Kansas City police officer helped stop a man from trying to jump off an overpass at Three Trails Crossing early Saturday.

Police said the officer got a call about a broken down car on the ramp from Interstate 49 to Interstate 470. Officers later learned that a man on the ramp was suicidal.

Sgt. Steven Griswold ran to the ramp and caught the man just as he tried to jump from the overpass, sparing him a 60-foot drop to I-49 below.

He said it all happened so fast, there was no time for him to think.

"I was going to go up and say, 'Hey man, what's going on? Let's get off this bridge and talk.' But he didn't give me a chance to do that," Griswold said. "I guess I was in the right place at the right time. I jumped over there, grabbed him the legs and pulled him back over."

Police said the man who tried to jump was taken to a hospital for mental health treatment. His rescue was captured by a police dashboard camera.

Griswold said what he did wasn't that complicated. He said he feels silly for all of the attention since many other officers had more complex problems to solve that night.

"I came. He jumped. I caught him. Done," Griswold said. "Got him the help he needed. Ready for the next call."

He said it's another example how a seemingly routine call can turn into something more serious.

"This started out as a stranded motorist call. And on the way they say the stranded motorist now wants to jump off the bridge," he said. "So you just never know what you're going to get."

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